What You Should Know if You Want to Learn Japanese

| Monday, December 12, 2011
By Isabella Richard


Many people think that Japanese is a very complicated language. Japanese is certainly not simple; compared with Western languages, it has a subtle and poetic quality. After a while, though, you will start to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of this language. Don't let the fear that it's too hard stop you from even trying to learn Japanese. Learning languages is a natural human ability, one that we all share! You just have to be willing to work hard and put in the time. If you put your mind to it, you too can become a fluent speaker of Japanese. There are some proven strategies to speed up your progress.

You should get some Anime shows and watch them! You will enjoy this at the same time that you absorb the Japanese language. Anime is a well known type of Japanese animation that is now easy to find. It has become very popular in the Western world and is widely available both dubbed in English and in the original Japanese with English subtitles. It shouldn't be hard to find Anime; you can find free versions of it online, or you can rent or buy some at a video store. Click on the original language option, and listen carefully while following along with the subtitles. This is a very natural way to start learning the meaning of words and how people use them in phrases and sentences. This way of learning Japanese is more like entertainment than study, but it works! There are quite a few good Anime programs available, including Fullmetal Alchemist, Trigun and Cowboy Bebop.

Start reading Manga. These books known as Manga are Japanese graphic novels; many have been translated into English and other languages. This is another enjoyable way to learn, and is great for improving your reading skills. Reading will get you accustomed to all of the characters and the way they are used in sentences; you will also have to get comfortable with reading from the back of the book to the front, and from right to left on the page. Follow the text in your own language and you'll start to learn how words are popularly used and current slang and jargon. Formal training through classes and lessons can only get you so far! Manga are often very adult in theme, something you should keep in mind when buying them!

You should also use flash cards. For studying Japanese you should actually get several types of flash cards. One set can be used for learning grammar and vocabulary words. Flash cards can also be used for learning how to form the different characters so you can start to read them.The best method to use is to write the Japanese on one side of the card and the phonetic equivalent in your own alphabet on the reverse. Be sure to not mix up the different sets of cards or you'll only get confused and not know what you're looking at!

You can learn a language using a variety of systems and tools. Take your own style of learning into consideration, and base your course of study on this. The most important thing to remember is that learning Japanese is something you can do. The key is to make up your mind that you will continue learning until you can speak, read and write like someone who's been speaking Japanese their whole life!




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